6 Years Post Breast Implants: Do I Have a Leak?

asked 1 year ago by myahd9876 in Roseburg, OR
Latest answer by James McMahan, MD
Question viewed 2,002 times
Tags: accident, armpit, drop, leak, pregnancy, rippling, shifting

I have had my implants for 6 years and have gone thru a pregnancy with them. My son is now 2 and about 4 months ago he kicked me really hard in my right breast. Since then, I have been very sore and I feel like my right breast has dropped a little and my rippling in that side seems worse.

I have noticed since my pregnancy that my breasts have dropped and they feel like they are pushing a bit under my armpit. After the kicking I'm just wondering if I am having a slow leak. I just can't tell.

10 answers to 6 Years Post Breast Implants: Do I Have a Leak?

Saline implant leaks are obvious

If you have a leak in a saline implant, eventually all of the saline will leak out of the implant which will then go completely flat. You would then typically have a dramatic decrease in the size of that breast; therefore, the leak will be obvious. It is harder to tell when a silicone implant leaks as essentially all of the silicone stays within the capsule around the implant and there is very little change in the size of the breast. Based on your pictures, you appear to be fairly equal in... more

James McMahan, MD
Columbus Plastic Surgeon

Evaluation for Implant Leak

Saline implants will deflate and appear smaller if a leak develops. A leak in a silicone implant won't show a change in breast size. Getting an MRI is the best way to check for a silicone implant leak. Some of the changes you describe are not uncommon after pregnancy: change in shape, drape, drooping, rippling, position, including excess motion toward the armpits. These changes can be improved with surgery. Consult with your plastic surgeon to determine your best options. more

Paul C. Zwiebel, MD
Denver Plastic Surgeon

www.pzwiebel.com

Implant leak?

If they are saline implants, I don't think you have a leak. If they are gel and you have a change in the way they look and feel after trauma, I would recommend imaging to assess implant integrity. MRI is the gold standard. Lisa Lynn Sowder, M.D.

Lisa L. Sowder, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Leaking Implants?

There are two types of implants saline or silicone gel. Saline implants, if they have a leak they will disappear in a very short period of time and there will be no implant palpable. Silicone gel implants, if they leak, they do not declare themselves with volume loss. In the case of the patient displayed in the photograph, the patient was pregnant. After the pregnancy she did develop some droopiness of her breast that is evident more on the left side and increased rippling may be a sign that... more

S. Ozan Sozer, MD
El Paso Plastic Surgeon

Breast implant leak

It's pretty unlikely that you have a leak, since you should have noticed a significant change in size over a short time (if they're saline). If they are silicone gel implants, a rupture can lead to capsular contracture, which may cause rippling early in the process. With gel implants the only way to check is with an MRI.

Malik Kutty, MD
Sugar Land Plastic Surgeon

Leaking Breast Implants

You failed to mention if yo have saline or silicone implants. I am assuming that your implants are saline. If so, I do not think that you have a leak. I think that the most likely cause of the appearance of your breasts is the effect of pregnancy. The best way to determine a leak in silicone implants is with an MRI but it is not 100% reliable.

John Whitt, MD
Louisville Plastic Surgeon

Detecting a leak in a saline breast implant

If your breast implants are six years old you must have a saline breast implant if your implants were placed in the US as the gels were not yet available. A leak in a saline breast implant, even a slow one, will result in dramatic loss of volume over a matter of days. The difference will not be subtle. It is not unusual to have some increase in laxity and ripple of an implant after pregnancy. Best of luck, peterejohnsonmd

Peter E. Johnson, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

www.peterejohnsonmd.com

How to detect a leak in the implant

If these are saline implants, once a leak develops, more saline will escape and the implant will continue to get smaller. In a silicone implant, the leakage can be really slow and an MRI scan is often necessary to detect a small leak. From your description it seems unlikely that there is a leak (assuming you have saline implants). It is common to have some atrophy or shrinking of breast tissue and some changes in the position and/or appearance of the implants. If the changes are... more

Anindya Lahiri, MBBS
Birmingham Plastic Surgeon

Your implants are not leaking

Your implants are not leaking. You have the normal changes that happens to the implants after pregnancy. You will need pocket revision and possible lift.

Kamran Khoobehi, MD
New Orleans Plastic Surgeon

Breast augmentation leak

I am assuming of course you have saline implants. But it doensn't appear they are leaking. Massage the breast you are concerned about and if you have a leak the implant should get smaller and smaller.